


Rekindle the Fires

by kaeorin



Series: Loki's Lullabies [172]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Affection, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avenger Reader (Marvel), Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Good Loki (Marvel), M/M, Protective Loki (Marvel), Reader-Insert, Snow, Snow Angels, Snowball Fight, Warm, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29116152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaeorin/pseuds/kaeorin
Summary: On a rare beautiful day in the middle of winter, you convince Loki to come play in the snow with you. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Series: Loki's Lullabies [172]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1678240
Comments: 8
Kudos: 108





	Rekindle the Fires

It was lovely outside. Clear and bright, with an azure-blue sky and white puffy clouds. The sun was shining brightly enough to make it look almost warm out there, even though the snowdrifts piled high everywhere told you otherwise. You weren’t normally a “winter wonderland” kind of person, but you’d already been holed up in the compound for what felt like weeks, and that sunshine was calling to you. So you gave in. You bundled yourself up as much as you could, down to the thick wool socks that Steve had gotten everybody for Christmas, and then headed out.

Or you would have, if it weren’t for Loki.

He came out of nowhere when you were just a few steps away from the door, sweeping you into his arms and tugging you effortlessly into a whirling dance. By now, you were used to this. You were used to the quiet way he lurked, sometimes, and the way he always seemed to appear in front of you as though from thin air. It seemed unthinkable, but you were _also_ growing used to the way it felt when he had his arms around you. 

Slowly, his dance came to a close, until you were just standing there, encircled in his arms and gazing up at him with a smile. His eyes were so soft when he looked at you—any time he looked at you—and that never failed to make you feel a little giddy inside. Gently, you tugged him down a little so you could kiss him, and then you savored the sound he made against your lips. Even when he drew back again, he didn’t go far, only rested his forehead against yours.

“Where are you off to, all bundled up?” He lifted his hands to your cheeks, and you felt him toy with the ear flaps on your winter hat. Your smile broke a little wider. You loved this old hat and, if the gleam in Loki’s eyes when he looked at you was any indication, he seemed rather fond of it as well.

“It’s beautiful outside! I need some fresh air. Will you come with me?” For a moment, you allowed yourself to ponder the possibilities. Strolling down the sidewalk with glittering snowbanks on either side of you even as the sun shone brilliantly...it was a lovely notion. You reached up to cup his cheeks in your gloved fingers. “Will you come help me build a snowman?!”

He hesitated for a moment, and you held your breath. You felt like you were aching to feel the fresh air, however sharp and biting, against your skin, but you also knew that if he asked you to come and read or something here in the warmth, you’d do it in a heartbeat. He stood up a little straighter and kissed your forehead, but then nodded slightly.

“Very well, love. I _do_ rather like the way you glow in the sunlight.” He took a step backwards and raised your hand to his lips to kiss your knuckles. A familiar little thrill ran through you at that. He must have known. His eyes sparkled when he looked at you again. “Wait here for me, alright? I’ll go and dress for the cold.”

And you waited.

Or you tried, anyway. 

But you were already so bundled up, as Loki had said, and the compound was warm and cozy most of the time, which meant that, after only a few minutes, you grew uncomfortably warm. You shifted from one foot to the other and looked off at where Loki had gone off to. He couldn’t be too much longer, right? He was sure to reappear any minute now, and give you that smile that you loved and then offer you his arm as the two of you headed into the cold. Maybe if you unfastened your coat you might be a little more comfortable, but you weren’t sure you really wanted to do that. Wasn’t it better to conserve as much of this warmth as you could, so that your coat would be warm when you headed outside? Because you were going to head outside together _any minute now._

After a few more minutes, you fanned your ear flaps and let out a long sigh. Blame it on your impatience, or on the golden sunlight outside, but you couldn’t wait any longer. Casting one last look over your shoulder, you slipped out the door. You wouldn’t wander far. Loki would be able to find you easily.

Despite the sunlight, the air was every bit as chill as you’d expected. But, there in all your winter clothing, you didn’t really mind it. It was refreshing. Bracing. You drew in a deep breath and relished the feeling as it cooled you from the inside out. Normally, you hated the cold, and you loved being here at the compound, but you hadn’t felt the sunlight in so long.

Maybe you wandered a little. How could you not? There were fresh patches of untouched snow calling out for your boots, and who were you to refuse them? You stayed fairly close to the door, though, glancing up every once in a while to check for Loki. It shouldn’t have been so lonely out here without him. You’d been planning on spending the afternoon roaming by yourself anyway, after all, and you’d never been the type of person to allow yourself to get completely lost inside another person. But now that you’d had the promise of his company...maybe you were getting a little impatient. 

Just then, something whizzed by your head, making you spin to face the building. It was Loki, of course, looking sleek and beautiful and elegant in his winter coat, even as he stooped to pick up another fistful of snow. 

“Rude!” you shouted. But he didn’t stop, only gave you a wicked grin as he shaped the snowball between his palms. You knew that look. That look meant trouble for you. You choked down your laughter and turned to run away. A patch of ice made you stumble a bit, and you gave an indignant yelp before you caught yourself and hurried away.

Loki was stealthy. You could feel his presence behind you, even if he made very little noise. That didn’t seem fair, given how loudly the snow crunched beneath your feet, but you didn’t have time to pause to think about it. Your heart pounded and laughter surged through you. It’d been a long time since you felt anything like this. When you felt like you’d gotten far enough away to take a moment, you reached down to grab some snow, yourself, and then ducked behind a tree to quickly form it into a ball. 

Now that you weren’t running or breathing so heavily, you could just barely make out Loki’s quiet footsteps in the snow. He was nearby. The way he was moving, though, made it clear to you that he wasn’t quite sure where you were. You stifled your nervous giggles and peeked around the tree trunk to get a better look at him. He was standing a little ways off. Apparently, he had not yet caught sight of your footsteps. It was now or never. You hurled your snowball at him, and couldn’t hold back your triumphant shout when it hit him square in the back. He spun around with a snarl and threw his snowball without even looking at you. You ducked back behind the tree just in time to hear the snow splat against it, and then started to dash off again.

But then he was on you. He propelled you backwards until you were pressed flush against still another tree. He pressed himself still closer to you, his body lean and solid and lovely. He drew in a deep breath of you, and the sound of it made you feel, rather deliciously, like prey. He caught your wrists in his and held them firmly at your sides, dipping his head to capture your lips with his own. 

You let him kiss you. At first, his lips felt cool, just like yours did, but it didn’t take long before the kiss was as heated as ever. When he parted your lips to taste you, you didn’t have it in you to fight him. He tightened his hold on your wrists, perhaps only so that you couldn’t break free to twine your arms around his neck. When a low whine escaped your mouth, he swallowed it down and smirked. At long last, he pulled away, but did not release you.

“I told you to wait for me.” His voice was low and velvety. You had to fight your shiver. “Why didn’t you?”

You squirmed a little right there, though it was mostly just to feel how wonderfully unyielding he was. Then you made your eyes go wide, just innocent enough without looking put-on. He didn’t much care for play-acting, though you’d certainly noticed what just the right amount of innocence did to him. “I did wait for you! I waited a long time! But then I started to get too hot so I had to go outside. What took you so long?”

He laughed a little and rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t find my other boot. I was just about to put on a pair of trainers when I finally found it. And then, when I came down to join my love in the snow, you had already disappeared.” He _tsked_ quietly at you, but you couldn’t miss the way he kept his eyes fixed on your lips. 

“I didn’t go far. I was waiting for you.” You wanted to drag him down to kiss him again, but he still wouldn’t let go of your wrists. Instead, you had to arch your body into his in hopes of enticing him in. It worked. He gave you a wolfish smile before coming in for another kiss. His breath was so warm. When he did finally release you so that he could grab your hips (through your bulky winter coat), you immediately slid your arms around his neck. It was so easy to get lost in him, even as the winter wind made the tree branches crackle overhead. 

You broke the kiss this time, turning your head to the side. Immediately, he descended upon your neck—or what little of it he could reach after nosing beneath your scarf—and drew your skin between his teeth. Your mind went blank for a moment, but you shook yourself out of it as quickly as you could and then pushed gently on his chest. 

“We can do _this_ inside,” you said in as firm a tone as you could manage, all things considered. “I want to play in the snow.”

“But I _am_ playing.” It was Loki’s turn to look innocent. His eyes were wide and earnest as he took in the sight of you, and that contrasted sharply against his lips, which were already rosy and kiss-swollen. Still, he allowed you to push him away, and took your hand in his. “Very well, love. Lead on.”

There was something about fresh snow that made you feel so much like a kid. Maybe that was the case for everybody. Maybe there was just something in the human makeup that was humbled, somehow, by a wide-open field covered in snow from above. It was just so satisfying. You loved a clean, untouched spread of snow, but you also loved being the first one to make your mark in it. You loved touching the strange, wet, sandy flakes, but you also loved just watching the way they sparkled up close. Really, the only downside of the stuff was how bloody cold it was, and how disgusting it felt when it slipped beneath your many layers, or into your boots, and began to melt against your skin. 

True to his word, Loki helped you build a snowman. He helped you shape the balls that would make up the body, and then he helped you lift the smaller ones into position on the base. As he did, you filed away as many mental images as you could: images of the way he looked as he pushed a giant snowball around, the way he looked when he grinned at you from the other side of the body as the two of you lifted it into place, the way he looked when he stood beside you, hands on his hips, to admire your work. 

“I didn’t bring anything to decorate him with,” you said at last. The snow was thick enough on the ground that you stood very little chance of finding any sticks for arms, and you certainly weren’t about to sacrifice your own hat to put on the snowman’s head. 

Loki slipped his arm around your waist and pulled you in close, then nodded at the figure. “That’s alright. This way, anyone who looks upon our work can imagine this man as whatever they wish. You have created the basis of a snowman, and left the decorations up to the onlooker. It’s very avant-garde.”

You had to laugh at that, and put your head on his shoulder. “Thank you, I try. That’s exactly what I set out to do, so I’m really glad you picked up on it.” He laughed too, and turned to press a kiss to the side of your head—or, well, to your hat. You stood there for a few moments, basking in the warmth of his love, but did finally break away. “Snow angels! Do you want to make a snow angel now? Do you know how?”

If he was at all perturbed by your quick change of subject, he didn’t let on. He liked a non-sequitur as much as you did, it appeared, and you liked that you felt like you could keep him on his toes. He tilted his head curiously at you, like maybe he was trying to figure out if you were being serious, and you treated him to a bright smile before allowing yourself to fall backwards into the snow. It was thick enough to (mostly) cushion your fall, so you set about moving your arms and legs to create that familiar angelic shape.

Loki did not follow suit. You paused for a moment and lifted your head to look at him. He was watching you with a careful smile on his face. Maybe wallowing in the snow like this was beneath him. He didn’t often seem overly caught-up in things like that—he certainly didn’t make a habit of reminding you how vastly different your statures were—but every now and then, he did seem a little hesitant. You slowed your own movements, trying hard to fight the self-consciousness that was beginning to creep in. It wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t have to make a snow angel. You could enjoy it for the both of you. 

After a little while, the cold started to take hold of you. Maybe the snow was melting into the back of your coat. You sat up and, just as you were about to ask Loki to help you to your feet, a crushing weight landed on you. It stole your breath away and blotted out the sunlight. You were so distracted by trying to fight for your breath that it took you an embarrassingly long time to figure out that it was only snow. A lot of snow. Like, a suspicious amount of snow. It covered so much of you so thickly that, other than, say, a dump truck, there was really no un-magical way for it to have gotten there. 

You tried to sit up, but the snow was too heavy. Dread started to coil low in your stomach, which was silly. It was just snow. You could dig your way out of snow. You’d be free in a minute, and then maybe you’d jump Loki and rub his face in an icy snowbank or something. 

Above you, he called your name. You heard a scratching sound, like he was digging his way into the snow that covered you. You tried to move your arms so you could wiggle them free and help, but it didn’t do much good. You drew in a breath, but a little too much snow made its way into your throat and made you cough, which certainly didn’t help you stay calm. 

A beam of sunlight broke through the hole that Loki was digging. He looked a little pale, unless that was just from the cold, but his face didn’t soften at all when he looked at you. “Are you alright? I thought you were getting up. I didn’t know—”

“Get me out of here,” you said. It was hard to know exactly how you felt. Now that your face was clear, you definitely felt silly about panicking at all, but you were still mostly covered. You didn’t do well when you felt trapped like this, and there was no way that you wanted to stay here any longer than you absolutely had to.

To his credit, Loki did exactly as you asked, digging you out enough so that he could haul you to your feet. He worked quickly to brush the melting snow off of your clothing. You wanted to push him away, but you couldn’t make yourself do it.

He was apologizing.

“Truly, my love, forgive me. You sat up. I thought you were about to get to your feet, darling; you’re so nimble. Have I hurt you? Are you alright?” He sounded sincere—worry colored the edges of his words and, when he looked up at you from his knees, his furrowed brow made something in your chest feel tight. It quashed any urge you might have had to draw this out or even to pretend that you were more upset about this than you really were. You forced yourself to smile at him and reached out to touch his cheek before you remembered that your gloves were soaked with melted snow. When you went to pull your hand away, he grabbed it and pressed it to the side of his face. He didn’t even cringe at the sopping fabric. Something in your stomach fluttered a bit.

“You ruined my snow angel.” It was the best you could manage. With your free hand, you gestured behind you, where the slab of snow neatly covered the figure you’d created. He nodded grimly.

“It was meant to be a prank, my darling. I thought you were getting to your feet. When you did, I’d point at the snow floating just above where you’d just been laying, and I thought you’d shout at me and then we’d laugh.” He pulled your hand down to his mouth, then, and pressed tiny kisses to the soggy palm of your glove. He wouldn’t let you pull away. “I was surprised when you didn’t stand up, and I lost control. I didn’t mean to crush you. Are you alright?”

You sighed and tried one last time to pull your hand away. He let you go that time, and you did your best to pull him back up to his feet. When he was standing once again, he ducked down a little to try to catch your eyes. You were fine. It was scary, sure, but a lot of things were scary. Of course he hadn’t meant to hurt you. Perhaps you were a little disappointed that he hadn’t partaken in that particular aspect of winter fun with you, but you were a grown adult and well-versed with coping with little disappointments like that. You met his worried gaze and smiled at him.

“I’m cold,” you said at last, drawing your brows down into a pout. “Can we go inside?”

And lord, there was no doubt in your mind that, if you would have allowed it, he would have swept you into his arms and carried you all the way back up to your suite. As it was, he held your hand tightly and all but ran back inside. He was, of course, the very picture of chivalry, holding the door to usher you in, hurrying to push the button to call the elevator. The door had barely closed behind you in your set of rooms before he descended upon you to tug off all your wet outer clothing. As soon as it was gone, he chafed his hands up and down your arms over your sweater, clearly hoping to warm you as quickly as possible. 

“I’ll draw you a bath?” he said, the end of his sentence trailing up into a hopeful sound. “Would that warm you?”

Some other day, you might have taken advantage of this soft, apologetic side to the man you knew and loved so well, but something about the cold made it difficult. You shook your head and reached out to undo his coat.

“I don’t want a bath. I want...would you just, um...cuddle with me?” You knew perfectly well that there was very little that he would not do for you, but it still felt silly to ask for something like this. You busied yourself with taking his coat off, easing it down over his shoulders. As soon as you were finished, he took it away from you and kissed the top of your head.

“I would love to, my precious heart, you never have to ask. Go and change into dry clothes, alright, and then meet me on the sofa? Or would you prefer the bed?”

“The sofa’s good.” If you cuddled with him in bed, you were all too likely to end up falling asleep, and you tried to avoid daytime naps as much as you could. He kissed you again before shooing you towards your bedroom. 

You dressed quickly, trading your jeans and sweater for something warmer and more comfortable. When you were finished, you dug through your dresser in search of a set of Loki’s lounging-around clothes. He probably wasn’t as damp as you were, but at the very least, the legs of his trousers must have gotten wet there in the snow. Just before you left your room, you caught a glimpse of your bed and thought to grab your duvet. You didn’t want to fall asleep in bed, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t wrap yourself—and Loki—in your blanket. 

When you went out into your small living room, Loki was already there, standing more or less in the center of the room holding two steaming mugs. He raised one towards you with a nervous smile. “Hot chocolate. I thought it might help,” he explained, and your heart thudded in your chest. You dropped your blanket onto the couch and then held out his change of clothes towards _him_.

“Dry clothes,” you said. A soft smile broke across his face, and he placed the mugs onto your coffee table so he could accept the clothing from you.

He began to strip down right then and there. You’d seen him naked before. You’d undressed him yourself and trailed you fingers along his body. You were intimately familiar with the shape of him beneath his clothing, but perhaps you weren’t overly interested in anything like that right now. No, right now he was going to cuddle with you on the sofa under your blanket while the two of you sipped hot chocolate. Maybe you’d get into that other sort of nonsense with him later. For now, you turned away from him to busy yourself with spreading the blanket out on the sofa. It’d need to be wrapped around his shoulders if you wanted it to cover the both of you, after all. 

He took your hint without a word. In no time at all, you heard him finish re-dressing, and then he came to stand behind you. With his hands on your hips, he pulled you backwards so you were just barely off-balance, so you had to rely on him to support you. And he did. It seemed he always would. He kissed your neck and held you tightly. 

“Are you hurt?” he asked again, lips brushing against you. “Did I hurt you? You can tell me. I want to know.”

So much had changed in him. Or—not _changed_ , truly. Even before, when he was sullen and quiet and snarly, this same man had existed within him. This gentle man. This loving man. He had simply never felt safe enough to let it show. You shook your head, but turned around within his arms so you could look him in the eyes as you spoke.

“You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine. I love you more than anything in the world.” You spoke very purposefully, holding his gaze all the while. Was that a tinge of blush rising into his cheeks? You kissed the underside of his chin, but then shifted a bit and pointed towards the sofa. “Now sit, please. I would like to sip hot chocolate with your arms around me, and I would like to do that _now_.”

“Of course, of course.” He sat down, then, and you handed him the mugs from the coffee table before settling in beside him. It didn’t take long at all for the two of you to fit together. He pulled the blanket around the two of you and pressed his lips to the side of your head. He kissed you there, but that wasn’t all it was. He was breathing, breathing you in. What was it about him that so often made you feel like so much more than you truly were? When he held you, it was easy to let yourself believe that you were as important as he said you were. Your eyes slipped closed and a smile played at the corners of your mouth. Another kiss, feather-light, and another deep breath. This was all you needed, wasn’t it? He was? He kissed you one more time but then spoke, his words coming to rest against your skin blanketed in heated breath. “I _love_ you.”

When you shivered, it had nothing to do with the cold.


End file.
